Essence
by klutzysunshine
Summary: Future fic. Skye and Grant's eldest daughter prepares to go through Terrigenesis.


**I don't own Agents of SHIELD nor will I ever. No copyright infringement intended.**

* * *

Ever since she could remember, Megan Ward couldn't wait to undergo Terrigenesis and discover what her powers were. Skye and Grant had decided from the very beginning that they wouldn't force a choice on their children and the decision was up to them once they turned eighteen. Now nineteen, Megan was ready. "I don't want to ask if you're one hundred percent certain because I can tell that you definitely are." Skye smiled at her oldest daughter and wondered if she should send calming vibrations her way to ease Megan's nerves.

"I want to do this right, Mom. You were the first Inhuman in a long time to do it the old-school way and Dad got his powers through fish oil pills." She laughed again at the ridiculousness of that story - Megan would never get tired of hearing it either.

"That's a lie!" Grant tried from the other room.

"Nobody believes you!" Skye called back to her husband, giggling at the look of mock outrage on his face when he entered the kitchen.

"I can't wait to go through Terrigenesis in a few years," sixteen year old Lydia murmured wistfully.

Fifteen year old Chelsea rolled her eyes at her sisters and parents. She didn't want any powers, content being a normal human in this weird world. "I know you two are superheroes and all but I'm glad you allowed us to make our own choices," she informed her parents.

"Quake and Hellfire kicking ass and taking names," Megan repeated like clockwork, teasing Skye and Grant.

"Damn straight," Grant replied before leaning over and kissing his wife. "I love you, Skye."

"Love you too, Grant." Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed a pen about to roll off the table and stopped it quickly with a flick of her wrist. More nervous than Megan about this day, Skye wish she could calm her own nerves. What if something went wrong? How would Megan react? How would they react?

"Get a room, please so we don't have to see the PDA. Oh wait, no, you're already knocked up so never mind." Chelsea loved them but her parents were so gross sometimes.

As if on cue, the baby kicked. Grant splayed his hand on Skye's swelling abdomen and grinned when it got kicked. "Well, we do love grossing you three out." The looks of shock on Megan, Lydia, and Chelsea's faces was something that would stick with him forever because it had been hilarious.

"Hey, you in there? I thought we talked about kicking Mommy every time Daddy was near," Skye playfully scolded as the baby continued to kick. She was ready to have this baby. Fortunately, she was due in five weeks.

"She's a daddy's girl just like the rest. Leave her be." God, Grant adored the fuck out of all his girls and still couldn't believe he had a family sometimes. It had been a long road to recovery after taking down Hydra from the inside and some days, he still got lost in the memories of his past.

"You're coming into a world filled with lots of love, Genevieve. Better get used to it now," Skye whispered to the baby.

Grant kneeled down and kissed her stomach, receiving yet another tiny kick for his trouble then leaned up and kissed Skye again. "I'm surprised you two don't have any more with the way you two go at it. And fuck, get these images out of my head. Who let me think this?" The look of horror on Megan's face made them all double over with laughter.

The door banged open and the rest of the family stepped through. "It's your big day and we're here for you," Phil assured his granddaughter after pulling Megan in for a hug.

Wanting to stir things up a little, Melinda couldn't help but pose the question she had been dying to ask. "How's that boyfriend of yours?"

Grant glared at her. "Still an idiot. Why will no one let me go over there and scare him a little?"

Skye, Melinda, Megan, Lydia, and Chelsea all scoffed. "Grant, we talked about this. Arson isn't the answer to everything," Skye answered.

"I'll let you set an experiment of mine on fire later," Fitz assured his best friend.

The grin that lit up his face was worth it. "Thanks, buddy."

"You're welcome."

"Will you two ever stop encouraging each other? I mean, really." Jemma couldn't believe she was actually used to their behavior now. What was her life?

"I want to come play with you two!" Lance looked like he was ready to salivate at the thought of helping Fitz and Grant with the experiment.

"Of course you do. The man I married twice ladies and gentlemen!" This is why Bobbi didn't like leaving the men by themselves - they got themselves in way too much trouble.

"And you love me, Bob."

"Yeah, I do." Damn it, why did she let him get to her like this?

"Why am I surrounded by sappy couples? Stop." Chelsea loved her family but this was why she hated going on vacation with all of them.

"Make us," Lance taunted.

"Grow up." Jemma shook her head in frustration and to stop herself from laughing at their antics.

"Can you believe how long I've been dealing with this shit?" Melinda questioned rhetorically.

"You love it or you would have killed us a long time ago, Melinda." Phil was grateful to have had her by his side all this time.

Megan bounced up and down in her seat, feeling like she was about to explode from nerves. "When are we meeting Lincoln?"

Skye checked the time on her phone. "In about ten minutes."

"Good luck today. I'm proud of you, Megan Elena." Jemma teared up and patted her niece's shoulder.

"Are we getting emotional already? Why are you doing this to me?" Skye didn't want to cry but knew it was inevitable.

"Ooh, full naming me, Aunt Jemma. And thank you." Now Megan wanted to cry too and she hated it. Damn it, she was bubbly for a reason.

Fitz looked around the room with mounting horror. "Time-out! Everyone take a break and pull themselves together."

They all started puttering around the room doing various things (and in Fitz, Lance, and Grant's case, fucking shit up accidentally and pretending like they hadn't done anything) to keep themselves busy.

* * *

They all then headed out to meet Lincoln a little late than expected but ready to go, albeit a little (a lot) nervous.

"Take care of my daughter for me," Skye ordered.

"She'll be safe, Skye. I won't let anything happen to her," Lincoln promised.

"I'll set your ass on fire if it does," Grant threatened.

"Grant Douglas," she scolded.

"What? I know you were thinking it!" He liked Lincoln (most days) but his family's safety was his number one priority.

Megan hugged her parents and sisters then took off with Lincoln to go through Terrigenesis. Skye and Grant desperately wanted to go with her but it was for their own protection that neither could be in there with her while it happened. "I'll be right here if you need me so don't freak out," Lincoln soothed.

"Thanks." Megan took a deep breath and then exhaled a few times to calm herself down. Stepping into the room to undergo the process felt like the right thing to do.

She panicked a little when the cocoon started to form but let herself relax when remembering this was just a normal step. The world exploded into various colors once the cocoon started to break and Megan really didn't understand why before she lost consciousness.

* * *

Skye and Grant were ushered into the recovery room (what Lincoln had taken to calling it) at Afterlife about fifteen minutes later to be with their eldest daughter. "We're monitoring her and everything appears normal," Lincoln reassured.

Although they had both gone through this before, neither of them could help the fear, panic, and worry overwhelming them. The first sign of the change was when a glow began to emanate from Megan's body and suddenly she was floating above it. "What is happening?" Grant asked as the three of them tracked her movement.

"Astral projection," Lincoln answered.

Since she couldn't control her powers, Megan's astral form was snapped right back into her body within minutes. The lightbulb above them exploded (Grant made sure to protect Skye so she wouldn't get hurt) before transforming into a bat. "What the fuck?"she cried.

"Okay, seems like that isn't her only problem. We'll have to figure out the full extent of them once she wakes up." The fact that she had an elemental power wasn't a surprise to Lincoln because genetics played a big role in Inhuman powers, and Megan definitely seemed to take after Skye and Grant in that regards.

The bat transformed into the light again and they all bolted out of the way as it crashed to the floor.

When Megan's eyes flew open, it felt like everything had changed. She made a move to grab Skye's hand and a pitcher filled with water flew off the table. "Telekinesis?" she guessed.

"Maybe more," a bewildered Skye guessed.

Lincoln looked up from the book of Inhuman history he had been reading just then. "I think I know what's happening."

"Glad you figured it out," Grant murmured as tried his best to calm down Megan.

"It seems like she can control Aether. It explains the astral projection, transmogrification, and now telekinesis."

"Aether?" Megan had never heard of it before.

Lincoln set the book down. "Aether is basically is also known as quintessence it's a material found in space. Also known as the fifth element and it exists in all Nine Realms. It can be dangerous but if you learn how to control it, you'll be fine. I think. Aether manipulation sounds like an amazing power to have so congratulations!" He needed to try to appear positive about this at least and he hoped they all bought it.

"Are you sure?" Skye pressed.

Lincoln nodded. "I wouldn't be telling her this if I wasn't sure." He understood their worry but he'd do his best to help and protect Megan even though he wasn't sure what would happen next.

"Congratulations, baby girl. You have powers." Grant kissed the top of Megan's head, so proud he could burst. He was worried out of his mind but too but refused to give in to the fear.

A crack of thunder outside and then it started to pour down rain. "That's odd. We weren't supposed to get any storms today."

"I think that's me? Sorry," Megan apologized.

"It's fine. You'll learn how to control this."

"I wonder what else I can do."

"Hopefully not too much at once." Skye didn't want her to exhaust herself.

"At least you can't control Nether. Aether is much better in the long run." Lincoln didn't know what they would have done if Megan had gained the opposite power.

"It's like I can feel everything around me. Kinda awesome!" Megan chose to look at the bright side of this and what she could do with her newfound powers.

"There she is." Grant was glad that she wasn't letting this terrify her too much.

The lights started to flicker on and off until Megan turned unfocused eyes on them and everything stopped. "I can feel forces in trees," the amazed teenager murmured. "There's life all around us, which I've never seen before.

Skye, Grant, and Lincoln exchanged worried and terrified glances. "Okay then. Are they going to hurt us?" Skye questioned.

Megan shook her head. "No, they're all part of the universe."

Grant couldn't help the spike of fear that went through him. Any talk of the universe did after what happened with Garrett. "Wait, wasn't Aether an Infinity Stone?"

"Just a small aspect of it," Skye corrected. She knew that sounded familiar before and couldn't figure out why.

"Oh shit." Lincoln's statement summed up what they were all thinking.

"We're here for you all the way." Grant wouldn't let the terrified look on Megan's face stand.

"Yeah, you're not getting rid of us, kid. So you can feel the universe around you and control a lot of shit in it. Big deal." Skye winked at Megan and felt relieved when her eldest daughter laughed.

Between the three of them, they could learn how to control the elements together and wouldn't let anything get in their way. They had their whole family backing them too, so that helped out a whole lot.

None of them were aware that Megan had attracted the Nether's attention and now it was waiting in the wings to see the full extent of what she could do. The Aether was determined to protect its new host, however, and Megan and the others were about to be caught in the middle.


End file.
